Without my brows filled in, I look the facial equivalent of bald. My face is like a sentence without punctuation.

In some cruel twist of follicle fate, I was blessed with an ungodly amount of thick hair and cursed with sparse, anemic eyebrows. You know how women are often asked what beauty product they can’t leave the house without? Usually it’s lipstick or mascara. And I get that. But for me, it’s my eyebrow makeup. I won’t leave the house without my brows on. If I had more guts and a better camera, I would show you some before-brows photos, but I’m really not that brave. Those defining arches are the absolute bane of my existence. Sometimes it’s a good brow day and sometimes it isn’t. It just is what it is. I’ve often considered trying my own experiment with Rogaine, but at the end of the day, I’m just thankful for great products and my steady hand.

Whether you need to tame or tweeze, fill-in or shape, these are the eyebrow products I swear by:

1: Benefit Gimme Brow is a light gel that fills in brows really well because it adheres nicely to fine hairs and the skin. The wonderful precision brush enables you to create shape, too. (I use Light/Medium)

2: Anastastia Brow Pen has a fine, felt tip that makes it easy to make hair-like strokes and really draw in brows where there are none. (I use Universal Light)

3: Laura Mercier Brow Powder: If you’re more comfortable with powder and a good angled brow brush, this is the best in class. The colors blend well to create your perfect shade.

7: Anastasia Mini Duo Angled/Spooley #7: Genius. I use the spooley end to blend and soften after I draw in my brows with multiple products. The angled brush is the ideal stiffness for applying brow powder.

8: Anastasia Brow Duality: I don’t leave the house without applying a hint of the shimmer end to the inside corners of my eyes and the matte end under my brows. At night, I use the shimmer side in my cupid’s bow and a touch down the center of my nose.